Two Calgary brothers are the latest local men to be identified as foreign fighters for a terror group in Syria.

Collin and Gregory Gordon disappeared in late 2012, according to a CBC News report. It’s believed they travelled to Syria to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

The Gordon brothers reportedly lived in the same downtown apartment building that was once also occupied by Damian Clairmont and Salman Ashrafi, both of whom joined terror groups overseas. Clairmont and Ashrafi, as well as Calgarian Farah Shirdon, have all reportedly been killed in conflict.

Collin Gordon was once an accomplished volleyball player, a sports fanatic and music enthusiast. His Twitter posts painted a picture of a fun-loving but thoughtful young man who loved basketball, electronic music and weekends.

In 2004, he led the Lord Beaverbrook Lords to a second consecutive city championship before moving on to play for the SAIT Trojans and Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack. In a 2007 interview with the Herald, Gordon talked about gambling on road trips with fellow players — “it’s a good time to get to know everyone” — and the importance of having a good team on the court with him. “I just love it this year,” he’d said. “It’s so fun.”

But after April 2012, Collin Gordon’s life appeared to change. His Twitter account, which uses his nom de guerre Abu Ibrahim Canadi, was soon filled with excerpts from the Qur’an. More recently, his tweets spoke of the “miracles” of Jihad and the “incredible” infrastructure of the Islamic State.

On Aug. 21, two days after American photojournalist James Foley was beheaded on video by ISIL militants, Collin Gordon tweeted, “10/10. The video of James Foley losing his neck is the perfection of ‘Terrorism.’ ”

According to CBC, the Gordon brothers’ parents have not given up hope that their sons are still alive. In a statement, they said they “refuse to speculate with regards to the end of their story.”

Police estimate more than 30 Calgarians have been recruited by foreign terror groups. Nationwide, that number is around 130. Earlier this month, Calgary jihadist Farah Mohamed Shirdon was reportedly killed in battle after he joined ISIL in the Middle East. The young man in his 20s was seen in a video posted online in June burning his Canadian passport. Around that time, he confirmed to the Herald that he was fighting with ISIL and said there are “hundreds of Canadians here.”

Salman Ashrafi was identified in June as the suicide bomber who attacked an Iraqi army base last November, killing 19 people and injuring 41 more. The former Calgary business analyst lost all contact with friends and family in Canada in late 2012.

In January, 22-year-old Damian Clairmont was killed while he fought with Syrian rebels. He, too, is believed to have left Canada in 2012.

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